The recent energy crisis has clearly illustrated the need for additional sources of energy if a desirable standard of living is to be maintained. It is well known that the use of petroleum products to heat and light homes, to drive automobiles, etc., can be continued only for a finite period of time before the supply of those products is completely exhausted. Consequently, a great number of projects have been undertaken to develop additional or alternate sources of power.
It is also well known that the use of petroleum-based products to fulfill energy needs is not only wasteful of those products but also detrimental to ecological considerations due to smog and other pollution their use creates. Thus, not only is it necessary and desirable to produce and utilize other sources of energy, but it is also necessary that those additional energy sources be inexpensive and as pollution free as possible.
In many cases, large energy producers such as utility companies have been turning to nuclear power. While this alternative may be satisfactory in the case of production of massive quantities of electricity, it is presently unsuitable for small applications due to the fact that such power plants are very expensive and, at a minimum, waste a great deal of heat.
When attempting to provide an alternative power source for much smaller applications, such as a single building or home, an automobile, etc., there have been no satisfactory developments which are sufficiently reliable, low cost, and low pollution output.
In many instances, developers of such systems have attempted to accomplish the desired results by capturing and utilizing solar energy, but the systems designed have been expensive, complex, and often unsuitable for small applications. For example, most of the systems designed thus far require the use of large solar panels which must be spread out in a field or on a roof top. They often require that the building with which they are to be used be constructed specifically so as to utilize the system.
To date, no relatively small, unobstrusive, inexpensive, and pollution free alternative for the generation of power and heat has yet been devised.